Croton Cross Race Recap: Return of the Stoke
The first edition of Croton Cross took place on the last weekend of October in scenic Croton Point Park. We brought out a big crew, raced in multiple fields, and enjoyed the crisp fall weather and beautiful Hudson views. Below are recaps from Leah, who raced the W123 field field on both days, Tom, who raced his first cross race on day 2, and photo galleries from Scott and Daghan.
And while you’re here, don’t miss our interview with the Croton Cross Race Directors covering how they brought a brand new weekend of cyclocross to the area - including one of the most beautiful backdrops for a cross race anywhere on the East Coast.
Day 1 Recap (Leah)
The last month of cross season can be rough: it’s getting colder and the sky is getting darker, lingering fitness from road season is fading and the motivation to train is waning, weeks of endless driving and cleaning bikes and replacing broken bits and all the logistics are starting to take a toll.
This year, I hit the breaking point even earlier than usual. After a very stressful first month of cross which included many mechanicals both car and bike-related, I was done by day one of Charm. I had that thought everyone has at some point while participating in this slightly ridiculous sport…why am I doing this to myself?? Maybe I should quit cross forever?? I didn’t race for most of October and instead spent the month on some lovely fall rides with the team.
By the end of October, a bunch of teammates and friends signed up for Croton Cross and the racing fomo started to creep back in. The course looked like it was going to be awesome, the fall foliage would be beautiful, it would not be raining, and best of all, it was only an hour away from home. So I woke up at an ungodly hour on Saturday and drove up in time for the first race of the day (or rather, I “woke up” and then slept in the car while Yosef drove up).
It was a balmy 35 degrees when we arrived. The ground was still covered in frost and the sun had barely risen. I hopped on course for a preride and despite my frozen fingers and uncaffeinated state, I absolutely loved it. The course was fun. It started with a long series of swoopy off-camber turns punctuated by the occasional rooty section. If you took the right lines, you could carry quite a bit of speed through the corners without expending too much energy. Next up was a straightaway along the Hudson where you could catch a quick glimpse of the cliffs across the river before going into a tiny woodsy uphill illuminated with little red Christmas lights (loved that bit of detail). Then barriers, a slow grassy uphill slog with a few turns, followed by a long, steep and loose dirt downhill swoop through the woods and out into a field. A few more turns, some uphill Belgian steps, and then a slight reprieve on a grassy downhill. This was followed by my least favorite section of the course, some tricky up-and-down off camber turns where it felt like no line was the right line. Then a few more tight turns in front of the team tent area leading into a long gravel straight to the finish.
By the time my race arrived, I’d already watched a few fields and had some ideas about what to do (no matter how tired you are, put down as much power as you can on the grassy uphill and the gravel straight) and what not to do (the high line on the last off camber). I lined up with the rest of the W123s and we were off! The start was fast, the turns were swoopy, and the heckles were top-notch. I spent the first several laps racing with Shane and Steph and had a wonderful time pretending I could keep up with them forever. I eventually made a few mistakes and fell back but tried to keep it slow and steady as I rode all the features, even the Belgian steps which I’ve never been able to ride in the past! (Arguably, I still can’t ride them – I just kind of bang my wheel into the steps and muscle over them, much to the chagrin of everyone watching.)
By the end of the race, I was excited to come back and do it all in reverse the next day. After a so-so start to the season, the cross stoke was finally back.
Day 2 Recap (Tom)
I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to CX… that’s a lie. I could, and it would involve my shoulder staying in its socket. But that is of no concern now, as everything else at Croton Cross was EXACTLY what I was hoping for in a first CX race. I took Metro North up and the park was just a short bike ride from the Croton-Harmon station. I arrived at Croton Point Park around 8:45a, and my race wasn’t until 3:30p — plenty of time to cheer on teammates and pre-ride the course, as well as announce my relationship status on TBD ‘gram and soak up all the much-needed CX advice.
The course was a ton of fun, my favorite section being what the race directors referred to as “The Bowl”, which was at the south end by the start/finish. The section was about a half mile long with winding turns and off cambers, although none of it was that steep. It was a good time to let the heart rate settle down a bit, have the luxury of applying relatively steady power while being able to practice finding good lines, using less brakes, and thinking 2 turns ahead. With every turn I seemed to be passing the rider directly behind me as well, so there was a little bit of a mental game going on with “is he closer to me this turn than last?”
Overall, Croton CX was a great time, and I’m hoping it will be back next year!
Photo gallery by Scott
Photo gallery by Daghan
